How To: Filming and Editing a Skate Video

Filming and editing longboarding videos can seem difficult at first, but with a little practice anyone can do it. It takes quite a bit more practice to make videos unique and gnarly enough to capture the attention of video-watchers around the world. For those of you who strive to make great longboarding videos, we’ve got some advice from Nate Blackburn that you might find helpful.

As many of you know, Nate’s been making videos for Motion Boardshop since the dawn of time. Recently he turned the art of creating longboarding videos into his full-time job when he started his own company, OHEF Productions. Nate stopped by the shop the other day to share some knowledge on filming and editing for any of you getting into the video production part of the scene:

Nate’s Filming Tips

Try to shoot from lots of different angles. Avoid holding the camera anywhere between the bellybutton and the top of the head- it quickly gets boring to watch.

Try to get the camera as close to the skater as possible.

When filming slides, film either from where the slide starts or from where it ends.

Practice buttboarding. Then buttboard while you’re filming to keep up with the action. (like the picture above)

Try to always shoot a shot more than once. Repeat the shot from the same angle and different ones too.

Create depth of field by shooting from behind an object. Having something in the shot between the camera and the skater helps to show distance which comes in handy when filming slides!

Let the camera run 10 seconds longer than you normally would after the action stops. That’s when all the funny stuff happens! Great for B-rolls!

Nate’s Editing Tips

Keep the clips short and concise. Don’t show the rider riding away after a trick for 5 seconds.

Avoid putting clips filmed from the same angle back to back. It tends to make a video seem bland.

Don’t overdo it with the slow-mo. Or the fast-mo.

Don’t forget to watch the video before uploading it! Have someone else (or a few other people) watch it—it’s always helpful to get an outsiders opinion.

Play the video and listen to the sound without actually watching it. This will help you notice any inconsistencies in the sound.

Play the video without sound. This shows how smooth the editing and transitions are between clips.